Moda will take place in the UK, February 5 to 8, 2023.This is the UK’s longest standing fashion trade show.

The Moda Catwalk will feature the latest women’swear, footwear and accessories brought to life. Key trends include Sundial, The Vibe, Electric, and Different Angles. Buyers will also be presented with curated sponsored scenes from Saloos, Jayley Collection, Lighthouse Clothing, and the footwear headline sponsor is Lunar, a global footwear brand offering a vast and unique range of colourful and elegant designs. With high-energy trend-led catwalk shows and hours of inspirational and informative talks offering invaluable business advice, visitors flock to the

Moda Catwalk stage season after season to learn and be inspired. The founder and director of The Stylist will speak on style meets retail with tips for buyers and independent retailers on how to buy successfully with the eye of a stylist. The last couple of years have seen an explosion of interest in behavioural science. And yet, despite the growth of recognized behavioural biases and tactical nudges, many are still unaware of the benefits on offer as part of any marketing mix. All this and more will be presented at a workshop.

An e-commerce consultant will explore common issues that cost fashion e-commerce businesses serious money but are often overlooked.

The global shapewear market is growing at eight per cent a year. This covers bodysuits, corsets, control tights, control panties, control slips, girdles and slimming camisoles.

Shapewear is a type of underwear which helps in looking slim and improving the body figure by compressing the fats and skin folds. As people nowadays are very conscious about their appearance and their social status, achieving the ideal body shape and complying with beauty standards in society has become critical. For this purpose, people are increasingly using shapewear products. This will continue to boost the market.

Shapewear helps people in achieving the ideal body shape without going to the gym and dieting, gaining demand among women as well as men. They also help people to deal with body deformities. Shapewears are increasingly popular undergarments in the fashion business. These shaping underwear are designed for certain areas such as the stomach, waist, hips, and thighs. People can utilize the appropriate shapewear depending on their needs.

Because shapewear instantaneously provides optimum figure and body configurations, the working population, particularly women looking for work-leisure attire, is acquiring and wearing it.Because they are flexible and tensile, synthetic materials such as neoprene, spandex, and lycra are often utilized for shapewear.

The share of apparel and textiles among the total merchandise exports of India declined to eight per cent in December 2022 from nine per cent the previous year.

Total exports of apparel and textiles contracted almost 11 per cent for April 2022 to December 2022. These exports shrank 21 per cent in December 2022 and shipments of handlooms, cotton yarns and fabrics declined by 40 per cent year on year in December 2022.

High cotton prices are probably one of the major reasons for the decline in exports. One industry opinion is that if the import duty on cotton were to be removed this will enable India to stay competitive in the global trade of apparel and textiles. However, exports of readymade garments showed a marginal growth of one per cent in December 2022 compared to the earlier year. Readymade garment exports in December 2022 were higher by ten per cent year on year compared to exports in December 2021.

Garment exports from India to Australia are likely to see a jump of 30 per cent as a result of the free trade agreement. Various Indian products, including textiles and apparel, will have preferential market access to the Australian market with zero customs duty.

MySize tackles returns. This is a sizing technology that uses algorithms and AI to match shoppers with an optimized fit based on a brand’s product-specific sizing chart.

MySize is a measurement app that provides sizing recommendations. The measurement solution bolsters buying confidence in customers by quickly generating their ideal size, which further increases brand loyalty and conversion rates for the retailer while reducing returns.

Based on customer engagement, the technology allows retailers to optimize their customer sizing data and maintain appropriate inventory levels on relevant items. The solution’s more accurate, size recommendations reduces product returns.

Returns are identified as an albatross around retail’s neck. For as many as 91 per cent of merchants, returns are accelerating faster than revenue. An estimated 70 per cent of e-commerce returns are size related, leading to unnecessary environmental and carbon impacts.

This technology has a proven track record with jeans brands. It helps them achieve their environmental goals while delivering the added benefits of more satisfied customers and improved operating economics. The widget has helped Levi’s reduce returns by as much as 47 per cent, saving the company on steep reverse logistics costs. For Boyish Jeans customer returns dropped approximately 31 per cent after the brand implemented the MySize widget on its website.

Istanbul Fashion Connection will be held in Turkey, February 8 to 11, 2023.

Over 600 exhibitors will give an overview of the new collections in the areas of women’swear, men’swear, children’s wear, denim, sportswear, night dresses, wedding dresses, lingerie, socks, leather and furs. Brands use the trade fair as a platform to expand their international customer network.

The event is an essential platform to meet new buyers and business partners. More than 25,000 visitors from over 100 nations from all sales channels, from department stores and boutiques to online platforms from Europe, the Central Asian markets and the Arabian Gulf region, in addition to buyers from Turkey, are expected.

The event will highlight the creativity of the Turkish fashion scene and provide access to new sales markets while at the same time connecting potential production partners to optimize the supply chain.

The supporting program will offer top-class seminars and lectures. The special focus is on the topic of sustainability. Turkish design is increasingly gaining international recognition. Turkey has a lively and creative design scene and high-quality fashion brands that are redefining the image of made in Turkey. The manufacturing sector is an important branch of the economy for the industry.

Burberry’s sales in China are down 23 per cent. Covid-related disruptions in mainland China largely offset a stronger performance in Europe.

Burberry’s like-for-like sales in Europe, Middle East, India and Africa grew 19 per cent. Europe in particular continued to perform well, driven by strong trading over the festive period, and leather goods delivered another quarter of double-digit growth globally.

The company, known for its black, red and camel check, is pleased with its performance overall and remains confident of achieving its medium-term targets despite the tougher macro-economic environment. v

British luxury brand Burberry has an extraordinary legacy, a unique British heritage and a very strong platform to build on. The strategy also aims at refocusing on Britishness and strengthening the connection with British design, craft and culture.

In January 2022, Burberry’s higher quality business saw its full-price sales rise 26 per cent in the quarter versus comparable 2019 levels, while its total same-store sales slid three per cent. Burberry has been pursuing a fusion between social media celebrities and the blockchain, including the launch of NFTs in the gaming world. Burberry’s ultra-savvy marketing drives are helping the company win new style-hungry customers across the world, desperate to get their hands on a slice of the brand and willing to pay full price for the privilege.

Officina39, a chemical company with a 30-year experience in research and chemical application in textiles, was part of the third edition of CirculART.

CirculART is an initiative that sees companies, artists and fashion designers working together with Cittadellarte – Fondazione Pistoletto to show how new balanced forms of production, design and sharing can be explored through a careful choice of materials and of sustainable supply chains.

The key concepts underpinning this project are reducing the consumption of raw materials, reusing raw materials, and recycling. CirculART proposes a new link between fashion and art, engaging both in a conscious and innovative combination of sustainability, sensitivity, beauty and union.The project links territory and production factories, bringing together actors from the different sectors making up the textile supply chain that work on the basis of a circular economy with companies that have chosen to embrace the ideal of sustainability and develop an innovative and avant-garde business model.

CirculART benefits from the active participation of several companies of excellence operating in the field of sustainable fashion. Among these are Achille Pinto, manufacturer of textiles and textile accessories for international fashion brands, Albini, Europe’s largest manufacturer of cotton fabrics for shirts and Erica IndustriaTessile, a leading company in the creation of textile prints, original and customised designs.

For the third quarter Alok Industries’ net sales fell by 19 per cent as against the same quarter last year.

Total expense decreased by nine per cent. Raw material consumed was down 22 per cent year on year.Finance cost was down two per cent year on year. Employee benefit expense was up five per cent year on year.

Alok Industries is primarily engaged in the business of textile manufacturing, including mending and packing activities. Alok has operations in both the cotton and the polyester value chain. It has four manufacturing locations. The range of products includes fabrics, garments, embroidered fabric saris and terry towels.

Alok was incorporated in 1986 and began activities with the manufacture of texturised yarn by setting up manufacturing facilities at Silvassa. The company has expanded the texturising capacity to 30 machines, knitting capacity to 40 machines and weaving capacity to 170 air jet/ rapier looms.

Alok has developed an innovative yarn using its expertise in polymer-based yarns. The manmade fiber can compete directly with the hand feel of a natural cotton fiber. The product has been designed to help manufacturers and retailers decrease risk and volatility driven by single source cotton. The collection is made from yarns that weave into a fabric the feeling of cotton.

The European Union’s imports of apparel increased by 24 per cent from January 2022 to October 2022.

In the same period apparel imports from Bangladesh rose by 41 per cent compared to the same period in 2021. Bangladesh is the second largest apparel import source for the EU. Imports from China rose by 22 per cent. China is the largest apparel supplier to the EU with a 29 per cent share. Imports from Turkey grew by 12 per cent. Imports from India grew by 23 per cent. And the EU’s imports from Cambodia, Vietnam, Pakistan, Morocco, Sri Lanka and Indonesia increased by 39 per cent, 33 per cent, 28 per cent, nine per cent, 18 per cent and 31 per cent respectively.

For the first nine months of 2022, the EU’s apparel imports grew by 25 per cent. Obviously, among the top apparel suppliers to the EU, Bangladesh attained the highest growth rate. Considering the war and the ongoing global economic situation, Bangladesh is in a better position than most of its competitors. Bangladesh is always at the top of buyers' choice as the safest sourcing destination. Moreover, Bangladesh is now at the top as a sustainable producer with a better working atmosphere and an improved eco-friendly industry.

Cotton production in Brazil is expected to increase by 16 per cent. This is the result of an increase in productivity per hectare at 13 per cent and an increase in area by two per cent.

For the time being, the weather has been favouring both the planting and the development of the crop. Cotton producers, however, remain focused on higher production costs, especially of fertilizers. At the beginning of the crop season and due to higher cotton availability, the pace of trade is expected to increase. Some purchasers are already interested in guaranteeing the product of the next crop through contracts.

Consumption in the 2022-23 season is expected to be up two per cent from 2020-21.Ending stocks in Brazil were 1.34 million tons in December 2022, the lowest since 2018-19 and may sustain prices until the beginning of the next season. In December 2023, on the other hand, ending stocks are expected to be at 1.614 million tons, the highest since 2019-20. Shipments from Brazil from August 2022 to July 2023 are expected to be up seven per cent compared to the season before and the third highest in history.

However the cotton area in Brazil may be affected by the possible downturn of the world economy because of inflation and Covid cases in China.